Infrared thermography for assessing skin temperature differences between Partial Body Cryotherapy and Whole Body Cryotherapy devices at −140 °C

Abstract

Because of the scarcity of the literature on the comparative efficiency of Partial Body Cryotherapy versus Whole Body Cryotherapy, it appears that the decision to switch from the former to the latter is purely arbitrary and does not actually meet any scientifically established criterion. The motivation of this study is to draw up an objective observation of the differences between Partial Body Cryotherapy and Whole Body Cryotherapy treatments, based on the analysis of skin temperature distribution. Ten healthy subjects who engage in regular physical activity participated in the study (50% female; means ± S.D.: age 45.8 ± 5.5 years, height 168.7 ± 9,3 cm, weight 75.3 ± 13.1 kg, body fat percentage 19.3 ± 9,8). Sessions took place in a cryosauna and a cryochamber at identical temperature (−140 °C), duration of cryostimulation (3 min) and nature of the refrigerant used (liquid nitrogen vapor). It is shown that the skin temperature difference between Partial Body Cryotherapy and Whole Body Cryotherapy varies according to the vertical location of the body regions, increasingly from 15% on the lower areas of the body (no significant difference in skin temperature for legs P = .171) up to 53% for the upper areas (significant difference P < 0.001 for chest). These observations show the caution with which these two cryotherapy systems must be considered. The knowledge of the differences in cutaneous thermal response between these two systems should guide sports coaches and physicians in prescribing differentiated treatment protocols in order to achieve comparable skin temperature effects and consequently to efficiently cool tissues in the same way.